Scram off, Scams! : A communication campaign to combat social media impersonation scams

• Main Authors: Chow, Xin Yee, Lim, Kirsty Ting Yu, Tan, Prissie, Yap, Teresa Yin Tong
• Other Authors: -
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Social sciences::Communication
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/147168
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper presents Scram Off, Scams!, the first digital communication campaign in Singapore designed to educate 18–25-year-olds on how to combat the spread of social media impersonation (SMI) scams, primarily on Instagram. Instagram is the most used social media platform by the target audience. The characteristics of Instagram allow scammers to take advantage of the platform by using impersonated social media accounts to approach prospective victims easily. This campaign is initiated by Chow Xin Yee, Kirsty Lim Ting Yu, Tan Prissie, Teresa Yap Yin Tong, four students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Through a three-step mantra of Stop, Observe, Share, the campaign aims to empower youths in Singapore to come together to curb the spread of SMI scams. The team collaborated with twelve partners and secured funding from three organisations. Youths exposed to the campaign showed an increase in 1) knowledge on reactive measures towards SMI scams, 2) perceived threat susceptibility towards SMI scams, 3) adopting behaviours to protect one’s online privacy, and 4) intention to verify spoofed accounts and warn peers upon encountering SMI scams. At the point of submission, Scram Off, Scams! collaborated with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Cybersecurity Office to develop ways to sustain the campaign beyond its academic deadline. This paper outlines the campaign’s research, development, and evaluation.